BEGINNING OF THE BICENTENNIAL

CELEBRATION OF THE BIRTH OF FR. JAIME

CLOTET, CO-FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION
Today, February 4, 2022, as we celebrate the death anniversary of Fr.
Jaime Clotet, one of the co-founders of our Congregation, we begin the
special preparation to celebrate the bicentenary of his birth on July 25,
2022, in Manresa (Spain). We have five months to prepare ourselves to
celebrate with joy and gratitude this Claretian anniversary.

The last General Chapter invites us to “drink from the source of our
Claretian spirituality in its origin and development” (QC 48).
Remembering the life of Fr. Clotet allows us to approach the sources
of our Claretian spirituality in its origin and in its first development. Fr.
Jaime Clotet was the youngest missionary of the five who gathered
together with Fr. Claret in the cell of the seminary of Vic on 16 July 1849
for the foundation of our Congregation; he was almost 27 years old (he
turned 27 just nine days later). He was a privileged witness of the
awakening of our missionary charism in the Church from a strategic
vantage point, since he was Sub-Director General for thirty years, from
1858 to 1888. He was also the formator of the first generations of
Brothers in the Congregation, for whom, as early as 1858, he wrote
the Directori dels Hermanos Adjudants. The disagreements he had with
Fr. Xifré are testimony to his delicate spirit and his desire to attend to
the missionaries with the utmost loyalty. Fr. Clotet and Fr. Xifré, with
their unconditional love and dedication to the Congregation, show us
that fraternal love makes it possible to overcome difficulties and
integrate differences.
He was the missionary of the first century of our Congregation
who most admired the Founder. Although they only lived together for
a short time, he had the good fortune to accompany him during his last
illness and his death in the monastery of Fontfroide (France). The
letters he sent daily to the Superior General and to other Missionaries
and friends informing them of the progress of his illness and death are
a true monument of his filial love. We can consider Fr. Clotet as the
main biographer of Fr. Claret in the first hour of Claretian history. He
collected many documents and testimonies of people who had dealt
directly with the Founder. In the weeks following the death of Fr. Claret
he published in the Diocesan Bulletin of Vic some warm biographical
Notes of His Excellency and Illustrious Antonio María Claret, and
immediately promoted the publication of the first biography of the
Saint, composed by his friend Francisco de Asís Aguilar, to whom he
provided abundant and valuable information. In 1882 he published
his Resumen de la Admirable Vida del Excmo. e Ilmo. Antonio María Claret
y Clará, a biography followed by a rich collection of testimonies. Finally,
commissioned by Fr. José Xifré, in 1891-92 he wrote the Vida Edificante
del P. Claret, Misionero y Fundador, of almost 1,000 pages, which
remained unpublished until the year 2000. From 1889 onwards, he
worked hard for the beatification of the Founder. To Fr. Clotet we owe a
great part of the documentary wealth we have to delve into the life and
spirit of Fr Claret.
Fr. Clotet was a great missionary, especially in his dedication to
preaching, especially to the catechesis of the deaf. At a time when
these people were excluded from society and neglected in their
education, Fr. Clotet devoted himself with love and passion to their
evangelization. He published a catechism and a catechist’s manual for
them. Various Catalan groups of people with this disability have special
gratitude and devotion to him. In Mexico City, there is a school for them
dedicated to his memory.In June 1897, when he was almost blind, he
had the good fortune to accompany the remains of the Founder on
their transfer from Fontfroide to Vic and to take part in the solemn
funeral honors paid to him in the cathedral of Vic. The following year,
on 4 February, Fr. Jaime Clotet died in the odor of sanctity in the
mission house in Gràcia (Barcelona). His remains rest in a side altar
of the Shrine of the Heart of Mary in Barcelona. After his cause for
beatification was introduced, Pope John Paul II declared him Venerable
on 13 May 1989.
May his memory be for us an inspiration and
a call to cultivate the rootedness in Christ,
identification with the Claretian charism, love
for the Congregation, and missionary passion
for the little ones and the needy.
FEBRUARY 4 – VENERABLE JAMES CLOTET,
Co-Founder
Venerable Fr. Jaime Clotet was born on July 24, 1822 in Manresa, Barcelona,
Spain. He was the youngest of eight children, and baptized on the day of his
birth. He studied for three years with the Jesuits of his hometown, before
moving on to Barcelona, where he studied rhetoric and philosophy at the
Institute of Secondary Education at the University of that city.

At 17 years of age, Clotet entered the Seminary of Barcelona, and later studied in
Vic.   Persecution of the Church in Spain caused Clotet to take refuge in France
and Rome.  He was ordained a priest in Rome on July 20, 1845.  On his return to
Spain in 1846, he was assigned as Vicar treasurer of Castellfollit del Boix, a
parish near Monserrat.  In 1847, he was appointed treasurer priest of Santa
Maria Civit, another small town in the mountains.
Four years of pastoral ministry were of considerable benefit to him, but Clotet
longed to be a missionary, and in June, 1849, he asked Bishop Dr. Jaime Passarell
to allow him to leave the parish.  Providentially, Clotet met Fr. Claret, who was
about to start a new Congregation, and on July 16, 1849, was among the co-
founders.  The new Congregation proved to be the ideal setting, in which to
realize his calling.
Clotet’s early years of ministry in the Congregation were devoted to popular
missions, retreats and, catechesis, the latter the ministry to which he felt
particulary suited.  During the winter months, when the missionaries remained
at home, Clotet devoted himself to prayer and study.  He felt himself entirely
imbued with the spirit and style of Claretian life.
Claret loved Clotet as a son, and Clotet devoted himself to collecting details of
Claret’s life and testimony of Claret’s holiness, in hope of introducing the cause
for Claret’s beatification. Clotet’s holiness and practical contributions were
indispensable to the survival and success of the fledgling Congregation.
Clarification of the missionary vocation
Clotet had finally embarked on his missionary vocation and found in the new
Congregation the best way, in which to pursue it. “… Many years later, he would
jot down in his notes the minutest details of the life of the Institute in its early
days, particularly the words and example of the Founder …Clearly, all this came
to reconcile perfectly with the spiritual dispositions, with which he had entered.
As he himself attests, the Missionaries lived an intense community life during
those first months, a kind of novitiate.  Jaime Clotet felt at home in such a
spiritual, disciplined and fraternal environment.  Moreover, the environment, as
well as the presence of the Founder, could not but intensify his desire to
surrender himself completely to the work of sanctification … In fact, in a list of
benefits, he emphasized the fervor he experienced during those first months
(Mss. Clotet IV, p. 240)” (4, pp. 83-84).
In his first years in the Congregation, Clotet devoted himself tirelessly to
preaching missions, directing the spiritual exercises and, above all, to catechesis,
the ministry for which he felt particularly suited.  He felt himself profoundly
imbued with the spirit of Claret and sought to emulate in the smallest detail the
life of Claret, spending months at home in La Merced, devoted to prayer and
study, then months on the road preaching.
Generous and Steadfast Service to the Congregation
With the death of Fr. Stephen Sala in 1858, Fr. Xifré was elected Superior
General.  Clotet was elected the first Sub-Director and held that position for
thirty years.  He was not re-elected in the General Chapter of 1888, but Xifré
appointed him Secretary General, and Clotet served in that capacity until he was
forced by the Revolution of September 1868, to flee to France.  From 1865 to
1895, Clotet served as local Superior of several of the first houses of the Institute
in Spain and France: Vic, Prades, Thuir, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Cervera
and Gracia. He also devoted himself to the formation of our missionaries,
particularly the missionary brothers.
Most of Clotet’s years as a Claretian Missionary were devoted to ministry within
the Congregation.  Without doubt, he was needed as a complement to Xifré.
Both were profoundly devoted to our Founder, and both respected the other’s
strengths in furthering the goals and growth of the Institute.  Still, Clotet was
forced to bear up under Xifré’s exceptional energy and authoritarian bent.  His
trust in God, his prudence, sincerity and love for the Congregation sustained him
and allowed him to counsel and inspire many members of the Congregation.
Faithful Friend of the Founder, Who Kept His Memory Alive
“Few knew Claret as intimately as Clotet, not because they lived together for any
length of time but because of the spiritual bond forged between them following
the founding of the Congregation and during Claret’s visits to Vic and Gracia. 
Moreover, Clotet attended to Claret during his final illness with exemplary filial
affection” (2, p. 5).  The two men shared an endearing, mutual love.  Claret
always spoke affectionately of the venerable co-founder.  In turn, Clotet
emulated Claret from the moment they met.
Clotet was moved by Claret’s affection to spare no effort in collecting data and
testimony of the Founder’s holiness and to launch the the process of
beatification.  As a result of his extensive research, Clotet penned the summary
of an admirable life: “The results of this ambitious undertaking are priceless, not
simply for the impressive collection of documents, which argue convincingly for
the exceptional holiness of our Venerable Founder, but because as a historical
document of the first order, it reflects Clotet’s scrupulous attention to detail.  By
all means, he accomplished his purpose, which was to showcase Claret’s heroic
virtue and pave the way for his beatification “(1, pp. 280-281).
This brief work led to the publication of a more comprehensive and detailed
study. The Exemplary Life of Fr. Clotet, Missionary and Founder  was published in
the year 2000, on the occasion of the centennial of Venerable Clotet’s death the
150th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation.
The Apostle of the Deaf
Apart from his years of service to the Congregation, Clotet also distinguished
himself for his ministry with the hearing impaired.  His book on signing was well
received by others engaged in that ministry.  Clotet also wrote several
pamphlets for clergy and on the formation of the Claretian missionary brothers.
The Abiding Presence of God
Fr. Clotet’s faith, wisdom, counseling of others and his peaceful demeanor were
evidence of his being consistently aware of the Lord’s presence.  One observer
wrote: “Dear and revered by all, entirely for God … he passed through the land
leaving sweet scents of holiness, creating an atmosphere of love, and providing
consolation to many.  He did not have an enemy “(3, p. 53).
Thank God, we have different writings by Clotet, providing us a glimpse of his
spiritual experience.  Following his priestly ordination, he was aware for an
entire year of living in God’s presence.  Gradually, he moved beyond the ascetic
pursuit of the Lord’s presence to the mystical experience of living in his
presence.  Though he was a contemplative man, he was not caught up in his
own inner world.  He was convinced that authentic missionary zeal arises from
only a profound experience of God.
A Brother and Friend Destined for Glory
In 1885, very ill and nearly blind, Clotet was assigned to the community of Gracia
(Barcelona), where he died on February 4, 1898.  In an obituary for
the Annales,  Fr. Xifré wrote that Clotet”… reached seventy-five years of age,  and
throughout his life he was a model of piety, zeal and every virtue,  as anyone
who knew him, dealt with him or witnessed  his death would affirm.  His
patience, resignation and fervent love of God in the face of death were beautiful
and uplifting” (5, p. 296).
 Pope John Paul II declared Clotet Venerable on May 3, 1989. The official
document attests: “Among brothers of the Congregation, he has always been
considered a perfect example of the Missionary ideal set by St Anthony Mary
Claret […] Following his priestly ordination, he was keenly aware of the intimate
presemce of God’s presence in his soul […]. His mission in the Institute can be
summarized as that of a strong defender of the inner life in an intensely
apostolic Institute. God’s presence was a constant stimulus in his exercise of all
the virtues. An extraordinary supernatural gift of faith lived in intensity and
characteristics stated in authentically apostolic […]. The servant of God, in being
Sub-Director and Secretary, gave constant proof of admirable prudence. […] He
was a model of justice, interior and exterior peace, moderation, delicacy of
conscience, unlimited confidence in divine grace. The constant exercise of these
virtues earned him the admiration of all and his life was uplifting climaxing in a
peaceful death “(5. p. 296).
Clotet remains our brother and friend, who encourages us to live our identity
and Claretian Missionaries today more boldy and consistently.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. AGUILAR, M., Biography of the Servant of God Fr. Jaime Clotet and Fabrés, Barcelona
1907.
2. CLOTET, J., Life of Father Claret edifying, missionary and founder. Transcription, revision
and notes of Jesus Bermejo, Madrid 2000.
3. Fernandez, C., The Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Madrid 1967.
4. LOZANO, J. Mª., A man in the presence of God. Study on the spiritual experience of the
Servant of God Fr. Jaime Clotet, Rome 1971.
5. Claretian Missionaries. Annales Congregationis t. 6, 1897, p. 296.